Kendrick Lamar Talks Struggles With Fame, Advice Dr. Dre Gave Him

Kendrick Lamar as literally the biggest story of the year in hip-hop, becoming a certified superstar, and garnering praise across the board. The Compton emcee spoke to GQ.com recently about his fear of fame and why success also has its bad sides.

"The worst part of success is, to me, adapting to it," the young rapper explained. "It's scary. André 3000 said, 'I hated all the attention, so I ran from it.' I think about that. The last six months, I've been going crazy, thinking, 'Is it supposed to be like this?' Because when the cameras are on and the people are watching, that can make a person want to shut down from everything and everybody."

Despite how overwhelming his newfound fame may be, Kendrick got some good advice from his mentor/legend Dr. Dre, who offers guidance on all type of things.

"He told me all the mistakes I shouldn't make in this business, being a new artist," Kendrick said. "I'm in a position where a lot of dollars will be thrown my way, and it's up to me to maintain. One of the first things he told me was that anybody 'can get a mansion.' He said, "You can get it. It's nothing to get. You can get it tomorrow. The best thing to do is maintain it -— that's the hardest thing. Keeping it.' "

He also discusses working with hip-hop greats, and who would be in his movie. Read the full piece over at GQ.com.